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Chinese influence has grown in Africa, as have imports of all kinds products, from running shoes to instant noodles. Bloggers as far afield as Congo and Senegal, concerned about the safety of Chinese products in their countries, are closely following the story.

Blogging from Dakar, Naomed of Le Blog Politique du Senegal penned this short satire, a play on “melamine,” the name of the chemical which was added to the fake milk. (“Melamine” sounds very close to “mélanine,” the French word for melanin):

To my left, your charming little child, the youngest, completely normal and of the chocolate color he inherited from his father and mother.

To my right, a glass of milk, seemingly honest. Nay! A glass of Chinese milk, in other words, contaminated to the last molecule of casein. Let's be honest, not all Chinese milks are contaminated, but it's a bit of a gamble; those who win the most are those who don't play at all.

The scene is set, the child salivates, waiting for his glass of milk, the glass of milk.

Imagine then what happens if you are unlucky enough to have bought Chinese milk for your children. Yes yes, that can happen in spite of your vigilance; the Chinese are perfectly capable of marking the package with “Made in Brittany. France,” such con artists are they. So imagine that you serve the glass of milk to your child and you leave the room to continue getting ready. As usual, you're late for work as usual.

All of the sudden, a shriek comes from the housekeeper, from the living room. What's going on?

In place of your child, another child is finishing his glass, crying. Not exactly ugly, this kid, but not as handsome as the one you had.

It will be difficult to get used to his new color, to explain to your neighbors and parents why and how [this happened]. They will suspect you guilty of the worst of sins to have been punished like that. Your life will become a living hell. I sympathize with you, sincerely.

There is no risk with milk in Senegal, because here what we drink isn't milk, it's white powder to which we add water…I have often been told it's powder milk, but quite frankly, given the taste, I doubt it ;)

Le Blog Politique du Senegal strikes a more serious note in another post on the scandal, “Some Chinese milk for the little Blacks.” Naomed writes that certain African countries import Chinese milk, but that “We are so used to Western products which are regulated and inspected that we forget that the rest of the world, for those who have the minimal respect for norms of security and for the consumer, looks a bit like Africa” [Fr].

I don't mean to say that the West is not greedy, that capitalism would not come back with a savage fury if they let it. No. But rightly, they don't let it. Countries have imposed minimum standards which they apply under the pressure of consumers/citizens.

We go to the Chinese and the Indians and look for models, but we don't want to look at their conditions and methods of operating. Blinded by an alleged economic miracle that no one, not for anything in the world, wouldn't want to undergo, we conceal the practices.

This economic miracle, it's a miracle of slavery, of vicious exploitation, of irresponsibility. That's the capitalist miracle.

In Congo, Forum Realisance also blogged the milk scandal story. Munsengeshi Katata writes that the tainted milk was exported not only in Asia to places like Bangladesh, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan, but reportedly also to countries in Africa, like Burundi and Gabon.

And curiously, not a word on the part of Africans, no demands for immediate clarification in order to establish who is responsible, to help those children affected to be quickly treated, and confine the damage by quickly recalling the rest of [the tainted products] from the market. Nothing. And I have to say that this silence angers me and proves, once again, how weak Africa is when it comes to protecting its children and its interests, clearly threatened…

this is totally unbearable. i hope this scandal will be the reason or the motivation for a reform of the inspection system for food production in china. at the same time, china needs an effective pr campaign for the made in china label.

http://locallylast R. Elgin

You need to revise your numbers. Over 55,000 children in China have been affected.

It is yet to be seen if the CCP can truly effect a change in safety standards in China since this problem is often a direct result of corruption. This is more than a mere PR problem.

http://jewelsnthejungle.blogspot.com BRE

Any voluntary recalls of Chinese milk products exported to African countries? Any vigilence on the part of government health authorities in African countries affected by this dangerous scandal? I doubt it; have not read or heard a thing from official government spokespersons on the African continent that these Chinese products must be removed immediately from their markets and shop shelves. If this scandal had involved Western companies these same leaders in Africa would be howling with outrage, but with the Chinese it is a matter of ‘grin and bear it’. Too much at stake in the form of Chinese government investment and promises of financial aid to Africa.